Device for sifting and measuring flour and the like



July 19, 1949. T. D. DI ADDARIO 2,476,483

DEVICE FOR SIFTING AND MEASURINCT FLOUR AND THE LIKE Filed 001'.. l1,1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig). 2.

INVENTOR.

Tbamasll D1' dario,

BY um 112 ATTORNEY.

July 19, 1949. v T, D, Dl ADDARlo 2,476,483

I DEVICE FOR SIFTING AND MEASURING FLOUR `AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. l1,1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY Patented July 19, 1949 :OFFICE DEVICEFOR SIFTING AND MASURING FLOURANDTHELIKE Thomas D. Di Addario, Buffalo,N. Y.

Application October 11, 1948, Serial No. 53,957

4 Claims. ('Cl. 209-358) This invention relates to a device for domesticuse inthe siftingV and measurement of flour and other pulverized'material required in cooking.

1 Many cooking recipes require such vmaterials in terms ofunitsofmeasurement, for example, cups These materials usually require siftingin order to eliminate lumps.A In ordinary practice lthe housewife, `whenusing a. sifter, either discharges the flour or other powdered materialinto a pan, guessing at the measurement, or, refraining from theuse of asifter, discharges the material directly into -a measuring cup. When asifter is used andthe material is discharged into a pan Vthe frequentresults are an inadequate amount or `an overadequate amount, withimpairment of savor of the cooked product, and, if

the amount be overadequate, with waste of material. When a sifter is not`used and the material is discharged directly into a measuring cup, thelumps are notremoved and the material is not uniformly distributed ormixed with the other ingredients, the savor .and quality of the -cookedproduct thereby being impaired.

The invention overcomes these objections by the'provision of a devicewherein the material may be sifted, discharged directly into ameasuring'vessel with all lumps eliminated and an accurate measurementof the material obtained contemporaneouslyfwith its accumulation in themeasurement vessel. Y

For this purpose the device of the invention consists generally of thecombination of a sifter and measuring vessel with features by which thesieve and the measuring vessel may be assembled as :a unit and otherfeatures by which the shaft which' operates the distributing elements ofthe sifter may be combined with material leveling elements operative inthe measuring vessel and theV quantity of material in the measuringvessel may at all times be seen and determined in units vof measure. Y

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the device with parts shown inside elevation.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing a preferredarrangement of the sifting screens.

Figure 3 is a top plan view.

Figure 4 -is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Figure 4, lookingin the direction of the arrows. vvFigure 5 -is a horizontal section onthe line 5-5 -of Figure l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is fan enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing featuresof the arr-angementof;

liner1''l of Figure Llooking in the direction Yof the arrows.

f Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of a frame for determining thespacing of the screens of an adjacent pair. The sifter is indicatedgenerally at A and the measuring vessel at B.A The sifter may be of anystandard construction in respect to provision of the screens and thedistributors and the measuring vessel may be of the usual cup-shapedform, bearing on its cylindrical surface calibrations indicative of"cups (1/2 pint by volume in the sense of cook book recipes) andfractions thereof. i'According to the invention the sifter casing I;which is preferably of the usual cylindrical form, is provided withacylindrical extension 2 formed with an inwardly projecting annularshoulder 3 and a cylindrical apronV 4 depending from the shoulder 3. Theshoulder 3 engages upon the upper end of the vesselB as a support andthe apron 4 projects with a somewhat close t into the vessel, centeringthe sifter and maintaining its stability as mounted upon the vessel.

The sifter includes the usual spaced parallel screens 5 and distributors-Bjseverally provided for the -screens and movable over their uppersurfaces. The sifteralso includes the usual central vertical shaft 'Iupon which the distributors are mounted, the shaft being journalled in atransverse bracket 8 having its ends suitably connectedV tothe cylinderI and being provided at its upper end with an operating handle 9. Thesifter shown in the drawings includes three screens 5, substantiallyequidistantly spacedv in parallel planes, in accordance with standardpractice.

While the sifter may be of any standard construction, `a preferredconstruction is shown in the drawings. In this construction the uppertwo screens 5 are determinately spaced by a continuous wire vframe I0,shown in detail in Figure 8, which is fashioned to provide upper andlower rings I I and I2, the upper screen being arranged above the ring II and the screen next below, i. e. the intermediate screen, beingarranged below the ring l2, the annular marginal portions of the screensbeing folded as at I3 and I4 about the rings II and I2, and confined, asfolded, by the inner circumferential face of the casing I. The upperdistributor Iiis held in any suitablemanner against the upper surface ofthe upper screen, for example by a cotter pin I5 passing through theshaft I and engaging the upper face of the upper distributor. The frameI0 is supported by clips l'suitably secured to the casing I and having.inwardly Aprojectingilugs Il against which. the rings I'I andV I2bear.A The portion of the shaft I upon which the"dist ributors 6arermounted is preferably fiat-sided and the distributors haveconforming openings whereby they may be rotated by the shaft. Thescreens 5 have central openings I8 through which the dat sided portionof the shaft 'l projects, the edges of the central openings of,thescreens beingwpreferably reinforced by-annularfferrulles I9. '.The;Vintermediate distributor yS is pressed againstth'e upper surface of theintermediate screen by a helical eXpansion spring which bears at itsupper Grid? against the upper surface ofrthefintermediatee bears at itsupper end against the, upper f errule I9.

a similar spring 2 I The lower screen is held by an annularframe4 22,being positioned atiilthe upper side of this fram-e;wand-having` its.;annularemarginal' portion folded about it as at 23. The lowerscreenv isconfined against` lugs; 24iiprojecting, inward- V from the lower'edgerof'thefcasing'lg preferably by an elliptical frame 25, the bowedends.of;which=res;t uponthe -shoulder-Sziand confina the: folded portion23 of the -lower-screensl Thefside bars: of the frame^ are preferably,iupwardly offset in horizontalsplanes `andfprovide:rests or reinforcementfor; the i lower screen;A against theV thrust of.' the Thefiat'sidedfportion o fithe shaft 'l projects to a suitabliefextentrbelowftheI lowerscreen Sand itsprojecting;portionxcarries an extension shaft 21,6; theshafts-;'1-and;26 being suitably detachably connected,` for examplefbyzcotter pins. 2 1. The shaft Zf'fis formed.; with-Uebends whichprovide radially:extending:parallel;V bars. 28. The vessel Bi? ismarked; with calibrations indicative of cupsv andffractionsctlereof.;Assuming thatthe capacityy ofthe; vessel B isrfourcups-the cupcalibrations-,1 reading upwardly', will be successively lycupg 2.cups-,f 1l-cups? and4"cups. The: bars 28:.1are severally locatedlinplanes substantially coincidingwitlr the. c up calibrations.v

Withzthei sifter A andip-ihe-vessel` Btted together as; shownin ,Figurer11; a.y quantity. of powderedf'material; such as flour, is poured intothe upper endzof-ithecasingyil of the sifterA. The handle, V9 fis turnedand; the. distributorsl B' are Vrotated over.` the surfaceoftheiscreens, inzorder tofmcve the material-1relatively tothe screenswhereby the material will fall successively through the severalscreens:Y

Any lumps which may notbe disintegrated duringv therotationofthefdistributors-wil-l be. retairiec'lr by the screens. Theevessel B; isconstructed to permit thehousewife togsee-the material as it falls intothe vessel. For thiszpurpose it ispreferably made of4 transparentmaterial. As the powdered material accumulates. in the;vesselthe barsl23 will keep the.-uppersu1face offthejmaterialleVel. In this way a;substantially exact de: termination of the quantity of; material'disfchargedby the:l sifter mayV be: had at: all; times during. itsoperation; If butfoneY cupof material bedesiredthe operation'is:stoppedwhenithe upper surface-of A ther` materiaL- as.` levelled` outlby the lowermost bar 28,@is in p lanefcoextensive with the area of thevessel Bfandwhicmsubstane tially coincides with thecalibration; 1 cupiThe lower distributor `li is similarly-pressedlagainst the lower surfaceofftheulower tscreen by coincident with calibrations indicative of afraction of a cup, i. e. 1/2 cup. This, however, is not deemednecessary. l

When the desired quantity-of: material has been discharged into thevessel '.Bf'the sifter is removed and the vessel B is used to pour thescreened and measured material into the food mixture to be cooked:screen by a helical expansion spring i2ll12which1z` f lfitiis-desired touse the sifter Without using the measuringmcup, that is to say in caseswhere thematerial is to be sifted without being measured, the.-extension: shaft 2B may, if desired or necessary, be readilydisconnected from the shaft 'l'vfby'removing the cotter pins orequivalent fastenings. y

disclaim:` Y Y Y 1; A' deviceffor" domestic use: ini thessiftingf.measurement of pulverizedvmateriais requirediin cooking, comprisinggfincombination, aesifteir-:ffor powdered 'material-"off thev type "whichincludes afcasing, enclosedxscreens and :distributors movable Vover thesurfaces ofthe screens,1and.=a;shaft for vactuating the;distributors,vthe casing-being Similarly if two or-"morecups be desired the Ioperation. of thevscreen is; continued: unti1- the upper surfaceof theTmaterial as levelled; oifby the corresponding bar. 28v'is in a pla-newhichsubestantially coincides withthe corresponding calibration. Ofcourse, theextension: shaft-26 could be formed to provide additional-bars-28fin planes characterized ibyan` extension formed Witlrn inwardlyvprojecting:shoulder andfianf apron. deh pendingv from the.: shoulder;ameasuringvesselI upon the upper end off-v whiclrthe-shoulderslrassupportingl engagement'f'and into whichtheapron projects with aclosed'etachalcvl'edit, therebyto center and stabilize the'sifter; themeasuringwes sel being,r Vcalibratedv inl termsr of. unitsbfrmeasureand:V being constructed' toA permit'y Vcoli-temporaineous visualinspection ofthe-.calibrations f and the materialias dischargedintoitbythe sifter; andan extension.V shaft' locatedwithin the-measuringvessel and connected 'to the sliaftzforactuating the; distributors, theextension shaftibei'ng provided with means :for effectingthe:levelingioii the uppery surface of-f'ther-powderedmateriallasdischarged, in planes;v substantiallycoincident with-the calibrations.

2. A; device.- as set-.forthfiin claimlfwhereinfthe means :for eiectingthe leveling: ofthe-upper surface of` the powdered material'- consistsotbars. projecting radially from theextensiom shafain parallelplanes. i

3: A: device;` 'as vsetzfortlfrin claim 1" wherein; the shaftV foractuatingfthei.distributorsI has-aportiom which: proj ects-intoitheapron: and to. which: the extension shaft is; detachablyiconnectedi..

4. A deviceas set: forth in; claim;` 1' wherein the shaft foractuating-thedistributorsi has asperstion which projects into ;the apronand tofvwhichthe-extensionA shaft ispdetachably connected; and the meansvfor levelingthefupperasurfaceloff the powdered material consists ofbars.; proectlw radially from theiextension; shaft; im parallel,

planes.

THOMAS D-. D i Annahme REFERENCES ,oITEn The following references areofrecord: inrftlieI le of this patent:

'152938'V Sill/'edenv Dec: 132119,02'

